Magyar spoke about his conversation with Zelenskyy in Dublin: the meeting will be neither in Kyiv nor in Budapest

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has revealed details of a brief conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which took place on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Dublin. According to the Hungarian prime minister, the talk lasted between ten and fifteen minutes and focused on preparations for a future bilateral meeting. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing an interview Magyar gave to Kossuth radio, as referenced by Telex. Notably, Zelenskyy's official social media accounts had not reported on the content of this conversation at the time of the Hungarian prime minister's statement.

Dublin: a talk about a meeting, but not about the capital

The key thesis of Magyar's statement is that the topic of a potential face-to-face meeting with the Ukrainian leader was discussed, but the geography of this meeting, according to him, is no longer tied to traditional options. "We talked about a meeting with the president, but it was not about Budapest or Kyiv, but about Transcarpathia," the Hungarian prime minister stated. Thus, in his assessment, the focus has shifted towards the region where a significant Hungarian minority lives, specifically the city of Berehove. According to Magyar, in Dublin he also spoke with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, the President of Switzerland, and the Prime Minister of Ireland, indicating a format of informal bilateral contacts on the sidelines of the summit.

Format shift: from Budapest and Kyiv to Berehove

The modified discussion framework contrasts with the format previously proposed by the Ukrainian side. As Magyar recalled, following a brief chat with Zelenskyy in Ankara in July, the parties agreed on an approach to the meeting: "We agreed that we would meet in the near future — either in Budapest or in Kyiv — and after that travel together to Transcarpathia, to Berehove." Kyiv proposed precisely this two-stage scenario — first the capital, then a joint trip to Transcarpathia. However, according to the Hungarian prime minister, this meeting never took place, and in Dublin the discussion, as he claims, focused directly on Transcarpathia.

Chronology of rapprochement: from Ankara to Brussels

Relations between the two capitals in recent months have shown a gradual movement towards normalization. In July, Zelenskyy and Magyar held a brief chat in Ankara, after which their first official face-to-face meeting took place on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels in October. Following this contact, Magyar stated that it is in the interests of both countries to put political and economic relations on a new footing. This sequence — from an informal handshake in Ankara to an official conversation in Brussels and then bilateral contacts in Dublin — forms the factual basis for preparing a full-scale high-level meeting.

Kyiv's position and the issue of grain transit

The Ukrainian side had previously publicly confirmed its readiness for contact. On October 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that the meeting between Zelenskyy and Magyar must take place, noting that Kyiv is ready for it, while Hungary against this backdrop gave the "green light" to two more negotiating clusters on Ukraine's EU accession. Concurrently, on October 17, Magyar stated that he sees no obstacles to the transit of Ukrainian grain through Hungarian territory, pointing out that Zelenskyy had made such a request to Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary at the EU summit. These statements show that the diplomatic track and economic issues, particularly grain logistics, are being discussed simultaneously.

Timeline: Ministers discussing a meeting before the end of November

According to Magyar, the question of whether a bilateral meeting can be held before the end of November is currently being discussed at the level of foreign ministers. This means that, despite the shift in focus towards Transcarpathia announced in Dublin, the specific date and format remain the subject of ongoing negotiations. While the Ukrainian side has not yet commented on the content of the Dublin conversation, the public picture is shaped predominantly by statements from the Hungarian prime minister, making further confirmations from Kyiv a key element in assessing the actual timing and location of the future meeting.